So many girls come and go

[Guest guest]

So many girls come and go

 

 

There were more questions, but I was suddenly approached by a

devotee who said there was an emergency phone call for me from Ramesvara in

Los Angeles . Leaving the room, I went to the temple office and heard from

Ramesvara the shocking news that Karandhara, the G.B.C. for Western U.S. ,

had left the post. He had been involved with a woman, and so thought he

should resign. Ramesvara was in considerable anxiety and asked me to tell

Srila Prabhupada and find out what to do. We exchanged some reassuring words

about staying under the protection of Srila Prabhupada's order, and then I

had to go since Srila Prabhupada was getting ready to leave the temple. I

promised I would approach Prabhupada with the bad news and seek a solution.

 

I got into the small car with Srila Prabhupada. The devotees wanted

him to sit in the front and use the seat belt. It was one of those cars that

keep ringing a bell until you put on the seat belt. The seat belt was to go

over Prabhupada's shoulder and around his waist, but it got tangled around

his body and took several minutes to disengage. Prabhupada finally rode off

without it. Several devotees accompanied us in the car, a small station

wagon, two men riding in the back where there were no seats. They were

carrying fruits and other things for Prabhupada's kitchen at the hotel.

 

Sudama also rode with us, holding several bottles of a liquid milk

culture called keifer. He told Prabhupada that the keifer was very good for

the devotees' health, but Srila Prabhupada said he didn't want any. It was

better he said, to use fresh boiled milk, or to make your own yogurt.

 

Going through a commercial section of Honolulu , Prabhupada saw a

sign and read it out loud, "Service is our business. " We laughed, and he

commented, "Yes, when the service is done with remuneration, that is

material. When it is done voluntarily, out of love, that is spiritual"

Riding in the back seat, I felt inspired to hear Prabhupada's definition of

pure devotional service, and joyful to be with him as we sped along in the

tropical sunshine, back to our private hotel. I kept thinking of the news I

had to break to him about Karandhara. It was exciting to bear confidential

messages for the spiritual master, but not when they would disturb him.

 

Sudama began commenting how Srila Prabhupada handled the questions

so expertly after the class.

 

"One of these groups is agitating against ISKCON," Sudama said.

 

"Do not agitate back," Srila Prabhupada replied. "Don't cause a strain."

 

"But they spoke to one girl who had moved into the temple," said Sudama,

"and they took her with them."

 

"So many girls come and go," said Srila Prabhupada. "Just chant, dance,

read, preach, and think of Krsna always. The secret of success is to serve

the bona fide spiritual master and follow his instructions with sincerity.

In material life one is proud he has cheated the government or another

person. But in spiritual life one cannot cheat. That is very bad. It cannot

be done."

 

Back in his room high above the ocean, Srila Prabhupada sat on a

chair before a circular white formica table, and we served him a breakfast

of fresh pineapple, melon, coconut slices, macadamia and cashew nuts, and

hot milk. He said the fruits here were much better than in India .

 

Soon after, I told him the painful news from Los Angeles . He was

disappointed but didn't say very much. I didn't know whether I should give

an opinion. I didn't want to be simply a dumb message boy, but neither did I

want to be presumptuous and give unasked-for advice. I wanted to help Srila

Prabhupada do what he thought best. But when he did not say anything, I

remained silent. Then he spoke philosophically, stressing how strong the sex

impulse was. "Hrdaya-granthis means a knot in the heart is made by sex

union," Prabhupada said. "The lovers say, 'You are my life, you are my

life,' but that is illusion. They are only after sex intercourse and for the

time being say, 'You are my life.' Home, family and possessions are another

knot on top of a knot."

 

Srila Prabhupada's pure Krsna conscious mind expanded from thoughts

about the immediate falldown of a disciple to a consideration of all the

living entities and their entanglement in sex.

 

"Except for Krsna consciousness," said Prabhupada, "everyone is in

ignorance entangled in sense gratification. People come to Hawaii to have

sense gratification. They are the same as animals. The knowledge of how to

free the soul from material life is lacking in them. So read my books. What

is already published is sufficient to make a man perfect. Chant, go and

preach. We have enough variety that no one should deviate. Take prasada,

read all day. We have so many books."

 

At the time I was the only one in the room, but whist Srila

Prabhupada had said was not just for me. He had published millions of books;

his lectures were recorded, reproduced, and distributed all over the world;

and even these words, spoken in the privacy of his room, with only his

servant present, were intended for everyone. Although his books were

intended for everyone and his lectures were arranged so that they could be

heard by people everywhere, yet he could not resist his all-valuable talking

even if only one servant was present. But especially for we who had come

under his charge, and those who were responsible for helping him in his work

with devotees in the Krsna consciousness movement, especially for us his

words were like the living sastra, the basis for a sure and definitive

policy for managing ISKCON temples and devotees.

 

"This organization," he said, speaking of ISKCON, "is not run by

bylaws, meetings, or vouchers, but by following the instructions of the

spiritual master with sincerity. Whatever success I have is due to that. To

one with faith in the spiritual master and Krsna comes knowledge of the

scripture. Without that faith and sincerity, bylaws are useless."

 

- From the "Life with the Perfect Master" by HH Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami